Kitsunegari
by Cyanide-Kalium
Summary: Updated version of a fic on my old account, "Kitsune Sohma". The appearance of a lost Sohma brings trouble and danger to the Sohma family- and an unknown part of the Zodiac myth for Tohru. What will happen when the creator of the Zodiac curse enters the Sohma story? Possible KyoxOC, and is being left as K for now. -Art by unUnderstandablE on dA-
1. Prologue

**((Some of you might recognise this one. I uploaded this story on my old account, Return-Of-White-Rabbit, as 'Kitsune Sohma'. However, I am now rewriting it so that it is more detailed and generally better.**

**A 'kitsune' is a Japanese fox demon that can have up to nine tails as a symbol of it's power, known for being mischievous.**

**Fruits Basket isn't mine but the Kitsune of the story and later, Akane Sohma belong to me.))**

**PROLOGUE**

Once upon a time...

God told the twelve animals that he would be holding a huge banquet where they could feast until the sun rose again, and all the animals were happy to go. However, the sleeping Cat hadn't been present for God's announcement, so the crafty Rat, who wasn't too fond of the Cat, offered to tell him later on. There was much excitement for the banquet, which would be held the very next day. But no animal had seen the Kitsune, watching from behind a tree. She was jealous of the animals who received God's affection, and spiteful that she hadn't been called to the announcement.

The Kitsune was very unpopular among the animals and she was always at odds with God, who scolded her for her troublemaking and pranks. It was well-known that the Kitsune had magical power given by God so that she might help the other animals, but she only used it to tease them and play terrible tricks on them. Still, she thought she deserved a place at the banquet, and was adamant that she was going.

The Rat visited the Cat and told him that the banquet would be the day after tomorrow, which the tired Cat believed, and decided he would sleep for the entirety of the next day so he wouldn't be tired for the banquet. The Rat, proud of his lie, left the Cat be.

The next evening the twelve animals went to the banquet at God's palace. Through the gates came the Rat, who'd been riding on the Ox's head for most of the journey, and had run ahead at the last moment, followed by the Ox himself, the Tiger, the peaceful Rabbit, the wise Dragon, the clever Snake, the brave Horse, the stubborn Sheep, the anxious Monkey, the honest Rooster, the loyal Dog and the determined Boar, all in a line. And finally, the Kitsune bounded through the gates, hoping to be included in the celebrations.

God was furious. In his rage he took away the Kitsune's power and locked it deep within the fox's soul. Along with her power went eight of her tails, which had been a symbol of her strength. The other animals laughed and jeered as she was thrown out of the palace and left in despair.

But after leaving, the fox became angry. She made a promise- "After nine reincarnations I will secure my power!"- and with the last of her magical power she laid a curse on God and the animals. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar and Cat, whom she'd thought was at the banquet, were also given a promise by the fox- "And you too shall be cursed to be reincarnated nine times so that you may witness the destruction I will bring when I kill you!"

**((Hope everyone will keep reading, as this is just the prologue!))**


	2. Chapter 1: Little Fox Girl

**((Just updating! Now is Chapter 2, and we'll meet Akane here! I'm trying my very best not to make her a Mary Sue character and not to make this another 'new Sohma girl with special not-Zodiac power that Kyo/Yuki falls in love with' story, so please don't get angry! I actually intend to go somewhere with this one. XD I'm not even sure about pairings yet.**

**Fruits Basket and characters belong to Natsuki Takaya.**

**Akane Sohma/the Kitsune/Akane's family are mine!))**

**ooo**

**CHAPTER 1...Little Fox Girl**

Would this storm never let up?

A girl, soaked through with rainwater, turned her deep brown eyes to the sky and swept her dripping scarlet fringe away from her forehead, where it had stuck uncomfortably. Had anyone seen her they would have no doubt thought that she'd dyed it, but it was hard to explain to people desperate for the name of the brand of dye she used that her odd red hair was naturally that bright and bloody.

The world was grey, and as autumntime set in trees shed their fiery leaves as if tossing aside old clothing. In any other form of weather the leaf-strewn paths would have looked very pretty, but in the rainstorm the leaves stuck together and turned into soggy brown mush beneath multitudes of shoes. Aside from the occasional car hurtling past, the street was motionless and dead. The only sounds were the girl's breathing and the ricochet of rain off of the pavement.

"Why did I choose today to go?" she muttered to herself, stopping and leaning against the wall she had been walking past. It was late afternoon and all day she'd been walking about town, searching for a house she was connected to. The only information she'd received about its location were snippets thrown to her by her mother and father, who seemed a little afraid of the house and serious about preventing their daughter from finding it. They currently thought that she was out meeting friends and had let her off with a warning- "Don't go about hugging any boys!" Pretty much the kind of thing any parent would say to their daughter, but this time it meant something different.

There were many rules in place for her- more than expected for a seventeen-year-old. No male contact, to stay away from anyone's wounds or blood, even if it were a dying man in the street. If she tasted the blood of another, bad things would happen. Very bad indeed. The monster that lived in the depths of her soul was drawn to blood and if some was present, it drew the girl's body to blood as well.

The scarlet-haired girl looked down, wet hair hanging limply in front of her face. She should no doubt go home. If she was out too late her parents would start to worry.

With a sigh of mixed fatigue, annoyance and sadness, she continued her path down the street, keeping her eyes on the ground. Which way was her home again? She should have never come to town for this.

Walking in silence, she prepared to turn a corner when her shoulder collided with someone else's and she made an involuntary "Oof!" sound. Looking up, she was facing a young man with hair that seemed far too grey for his age. He was blocking the horrid rainfall with a black umbrella, the edges of which dripped with small waterfalls. His eyes were a deep, understanding grey and he seemed a little sympathetic as he apologised quietly to her.

"I'm very sorry." he said, a small and gentle smile on his lips. Akane was stunned- this attractive young man had just shown up and she'd almost run into him. Which could have resulted in disaster. But he had a charming and thoughtful voice that had Akane silenced.

"Oh, uh, that's okay." she said quickly, "I hope you didn't get wet or anything. I'm completely soaked."

The young man looked down at his coat, noticing a dark patch of water on his shoulder, but brushed it off good-naturedly.

"It's fine. Just a little rain. I think you have it worse." he said with a light chuckle, looking down at her cold, shaking frame. She laughed in response, trying to look brave and careless in front of him. Akane didn't like people worrying about her or pitying her.

The young man gave her another subtle smile, but his dark eyes were focused on something else, something Akane couldn't see.

"I feel like I know you. It's odd." he said suddenly, and she cocked her head in response. She didn't recognise him, nor did she feel any déja vu or anything like that in his presence. Yet she did sense something strange about his aura- like he was different. Not human?

"...Well I can assure you I've never met you before, sir." she laughed nervously in reply. The man studied her face, framed by her oddly scarlet hair, eyes intent and shining in the rain.

There was a tense silence and Akane thought of turning away. She was a little unnerved by the handsome young man's sudden interest and his keen gaze was on her without frequent blinking- as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. And suddenly he said in his charming voice "What's your name, miss?" and Akane started in surprise.

"Oh! I'm Akane Sohma." she said, and waved awkwardly, "Hi."

A brief silence and a shadow seemed to pass over his face. Eyes darkened, smile faltered into a frown of disbelief. Akane felt her heart almost skip a beat in anxiousness, and she turned away. Why had he reacted like that to her name? Maybe he had something against the Sohmas.

She glanced back up at the young man, whose brow was furrowed and had wrinkled his smooth, porcelain face. Despite the fact he was still holding the umbrella, he looked at his hands, shaking his head a little.

"I think I should go." Akane smiled, tense, "I have to go home or my mom will worry." She backed up a step, out of the black umbrella's protection, and the man's head snapped up. He raised his arms and wrapped them around her, shifting the umbrella so both of them were battered by rain. Akane yelped, startled, and knew what would happen- she squeezed her eyes shut and waited to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke...

But it never came.

She opened her eyes and looked at the young man. He stepped back, lips parted in a gape of surprise, and she was sure his expression matched her perfectly. A whimper of disbelief left her throat as she looked down at her fully-clothed, perfectly human body. A glance up showed that the silver-haired man was doing the same.

"Who are you?" Akane demanded, unable to stop the trembling of her voice. She wasn't scared, but she was having a hard time trying to make sense of what had just happened. He had hugged her, as if he knew it would trigger something. Did he know about her curse? She suddenly remembered the Zodiac myth, of the thirteen animals, the Kitsune that cursed them, and God...

"I'm...Yuki Sohma." he said slowly, looking up at her with intelligent eyes.

"Do you know about the curse?" Akane asked, a little more sharply than intended. Yuki paused, as if internally debating his next move. He nodded hesitantly.

"The Rat." he said, barely moving, "And I know you're part of it too. But...I already know the others. So you must be..."

Akane sniffed, hoping he wouldn't say it. But Yuki's voice faltered and he sighed.

"I'd like it if you could come with me." he said, and the gentle smile that had been hiding returned to his soft face, "There are some people I'd like you to meet."

The red-haired girl didn't know if he was lying or not. His face showed not a flicker of movement. But what good would it do her to be out here with no coat? She didn't care if her parents were worried at all- she wanted freedom. What better place to start? Whether or not the monster sharing her soul wanted to destroy them, she wanted to meet her family. She had kept the thing within her for a long time, so she would be fine. Confidence is key, she thought.

"...I'd be happy to." Akane smiled back. Yuki, though his face held a hint of concern, nodded and stepped forward so that she was hidden from the demonic rain by the shade of the black umbrella. She thanked him quietly and they began to walk, in complete silence. Yuki didn't even look at her. His eyes were focused on something ahead, like the future.

As they walked through the streets that bordered a familiar thick forest, Akane began to worry. Surely Yuki was going to take her to visit more Sohmas- possibly cursed Sohmas- and since she- no, the Kitsune within her- was responsible for the curse they'd lived with for generations, would they hate her? She was their family, and she hadn't wanted to be born the Kitsune anyway. The God of the Sohma family had made orders that the Kitsune and its close family had to live away from the Sohma mainhouse, in a tiny house between the sprawling forests and the centre of town. Her parents were isolated, even if they feared the God, Akito, and it was all her fault. All the Kitsune's fault.

Yuki lead her to the mouth of the forest, which opened at a small dirt path linking the pavement to the treeline. The rustling of leaves was thick on the wind, the patter of rain on broad, verdant canopies was loud and erratic. The sounds were somewhat comforting, but Akane was curious about where Yuki was leading her. She wasn't at all scared of him, but the other Sohmas were her main concern.

"Why are we going through here?" she asked, edging down a sloping path that dipped into the woods after the silver-haired youth. Yuki smiled serenely at her, comforting.

"Our house is in these woods. It's my older cousin's place. He didn't like living in the mainhouse."

Akane suddenly found herself blurting out 'Why?', but Yuki didn't reply to her so she kept quiet. Obviously it wasn't his place to say why.

The woods were mostly dry and Yuki lowered and closed his umbrella. Grey light still filtered through the tree canopies but a lot of the rain was caught on the leaves and left the forest floor only a little damp. The air was thick with the scent of plants and rain, and Akane's worried thoughts were subdued by the tranquility of her surroundings. As they got further in, a clearing became visible. Light poured through the treeline ahead and Akane felt her stomach tighten.

Yuki faced her and nodded ahead.

"We're almost there." he said, "Are you alright?"

Akane laughed softly, "Nervous. I'm not sure what they'd think of me if they knew who I am."

Once again, she found herself ignored by Yuki. She was growing a little irritated with his silence now, despite the fact she knew he was a kind person. He seemed to ignore her questions more than anything, and she didn't know if it was because he wasn't sure how to answer or not.

They left the forest and entered the wide clearing that had been ahead. It was big, surrounded at all sides by tall and old trees and the occasional dirt path. The viridian space was dominated by a huge house, built in traditional Japanese style with gently sloping roofs and paper sliding doors around the walls. There was a small porch where one could sit, covered by an overhang to stop it getting wet.

"This is where you live?" she asked, admiring the beautiful little house in its tranquil clearing, away from stressful life in the city. Yuki nodded.

"It may not be the least stressful of places, but it's home."

**ooo**

**((Thank you so much for reading! I hope Yuki wasn't far too OOC... The next chapter should involve meeting some of our Sohmas for the first time (including the best, i.e. Shigure) so I hope you'll keep reading on!**

**Reviews and favourites are very much appreciated! Have a nice day!))**


	3. Chapter 2: Hello Family

**((Hey guys! I wanted to thank MitsukiCHANandNarutoKUN for the review which spurred me to continue, and to kana4eva and SoulEaterd17 for favouriting 'Kitsunegari'! It's good to know that you're enjoying the story! I'm still working slowly due to school and lack of computer time but I'll do my best to finish the story!**

**Fruits Basket and characters are property of Natsuki Takaya.**

**Akane Sohma and the Zodiac Kitsune belong to me!))**

**ooo**

**Chapter 2...Hello Family**

Akane glanced about the clearing and jumped to attention when she noticed Yuki slip ahead of her. The rain had lightened to a fine drizzle almost like mist, unbeknownst to her having walked under the canopy shelter for some time, and the grey sky was streaked with lines of bright azure carved from diamonds. When she stepped out of the treeline she was overjoyed, taken by the beauty of the small scene before her, and her worries seemed less powerful in the face of such traditional elegance.

Yuki was on his way to the front door, pulling the umbrella down. Akane followed him, quickening her pace a little when she realised her clammy clothing was sticking to her skin and freezing her slowly, and waited quietly and a little nervously as he gripped the doorknob and pulled the door open, leaving his drenched umbrella leaning against the outside wall to either dry off or get wetter in the wayward autumn weather. Despite the simple wooden walls the place was warm and Yuki invited her gracefully to step in first. Akane, with a little surprise, had to oblige, and courteously removed her shoes and dripping jacket at the door. She could hear happy voices chatting and laughing from further down the hall.

Once Yuki had closed the door and mimicked her actions, he led her down the hall and into a tatami room. The paper doors surrounding the traditional room were open, aside from the ones leading outside, and three pairs of eyes turned to them. Well, more accurately, to her. She couldn't be missed with her bright hair.

An older man was stood in the centre of the room, with short black hair that fell over his forehead and a youthful face, wearing a simple kimono. His gaze was brown-eyed and laughing, a serious contrast to the other male of similar age sat cross-legged at the table near him, clad in a very professional suit. This man also had dark hair, well-combed and parted so a thick fringe hid one purplish eye, which glared at her with some surprise. A young girl sat with them, no doubt close to Akane's own age, was giving her a curious, doe-eyed stare, a slight smile painted on her lips. Her hair was brown and long, falling down her back and spilling over her shoulders. There was a good-natured look about her.

"Welcome back, Yuki-kun!" she chirruped happily, her gaze flickering between him and Akane. The redhead peered at Yuki to see how he would respond, and she saw a gentle smile appear on his face.

"Hello, Tohru." he looked about at everyone, "I found-"

The kimono-clad man smiled widely suddenly, and casually remarked, "I see our Yuki has finally found himself a girl~! It took him long enough!"

Yuki's smiling visage faltered, and a slight annoyance took up his expression. It seemed that his face couldn't take any serious emotion- perhaps it would shatter if he smiled a little too wide or frowned a tad too darkly. At the the older man's comment, Akane glanced aside to hide her slight blush with her hair.

"Must you do this, Shigure?" the grey-haired scolded, earning a laugh from the kimono-wearer. While their exchange occurred, Akane noticed the more serious man watching her with dark eyes. Did he know...?

"...But as I was saying..." Yuki's tone was a little louder, to emphasise the importance of the situation, "This is Akane Sohma. I found her in town."

The girl, Tohru, smiled in Akane's direction and said brightly, "Nice to meet you, Akane-san! I'm Tohru!" Akane waved nervously back, grimacing a little bit.

"One of us?" Shigure admired her with interest, tracing his jaw thoughtfully with a finger, "I can't say I've seen you around, not even at the gatherings."

"I haven't seen any Sohmas other than my parents until meeting Yuki today." Akane blurted out without really thinking to conceal herself or the monster from the others. The two men were giving off the same vibe that she'd picked up from Yuki when they met, so she supposed that they were part of the Zodiac too.

"I hate to be blunt, but I don't see how her being a Sohma makes her important. Surely there is another reason you brought her here?" The suit-clad was searching for an explanation to his suspicions. The monster within could tell by his troubled eyes.

"Now now, Hatori." Shigure said, still in good humour, "She's part of our family, so she must be a special little flower."

Yuki turned to Akane, giving her an apologetic smile. She thought he was trying to make up for the behaviour of Shigure and Hatori, but when his gentle hand gripped her upper arm and guided her to him she began to suspect something else. Shigure watched, smiling blithely and with curiosity towards Yuki's actions, and then Akane felt a hard force push against her lower back. She stumbled forward, and her body's first response to save her from colliding with the matted floor was to latch onto the man before her and pull herself up, straight into his arms. A feminine gasp sounded from in the room, definitely from Tohru, but this time Akane knew that she wouldn't be transformed like if hugged by a normal human and that he wouldn't either.

As expected, nothing happened. After an awkward pause to get her bearings she looked anxiously up at the staring Shigure and slid out of his grip with a quick smile that assured she was sorry for what happened. The dark brown eyes were locked on her in wonderment.

"She's like us, then." Hatori said plainly, nodding once in confirmation of his own thoughts, "But she can't be of the Zodiac."

A prudent silence descended. Nobody wanted to admit it.

"You're the Kitsune, aren't you?" Shigure asked her in disbelief, his earlier humour gone. Akane nodded and managed to quietly say, "Yes."

She stepped back, and once again, all eyes were on her aside from Yuki's. Shigure exchanged a glance with Hatori, and though neither of them seemed to be particularly afraid, there was a sense of disquiet.

The positive and evidently confused voice of Tohru piped up in the surprised silence.

"What's so bad about the Kitsune?" she asked innocently, resting her hands on her knees as she looked at everyone in turn. Yuki and Hatori turned to Shigure in sync, and he sighed, seeing that he had to be the one to explain. He opened his mouth, beginning to speak in a story-telling tone, as though Akane's story were a myth, a fairytale for children. How she wished it could be that simple.

"I know you've heard of the Zodiac tale and the Cat's deception, Tohru, but there's more to this story than we've let on to you. This curse of ours didn't come about for an unknown reason." he suddenly smiled ever so slightly, and Akane held her tongue as she felt the urge to question what was so funny, "There were fourteen of God's animals. Aside from the thirteen you know and have met, there was the Kitsune. A fox that God gave magical power and eight extra tails to keep it with, hoping that she would use her new power and status to help the other animals. But there was great temptation and the Kitsune wound up using this divine power to hinder others instead, for her own amusement.

"As such, she wasn't invited to God's banquet. But she didn't understand why she couldn't go and thought that perhaps she'd missed getting an invitation. So she turned up to the banquet after the other animals, from Rat through to Boar, and God was furious with her for doing so. He stripped away the power he gave the Kitsune and, upon finding that he couldn't take it back after bestowing it, he sealed in the fox's soul along with those eight tails he'd given. Apparently the other animals laughed at her, happy to finally see punishment of the animal giving them so much trouble, and she resented them for it.

"So she was thrown out, just to add insult to injury. She was very angry, and there was still a remainder of power left in her, so she used it to allow herself to be reincarnated nine times- one time for every tail she'd had when her full power had been there- and as payback to the animals, including the Cat who she'd thought had been there, promised to them with her curse that-"

"'You too shall be cursed to be reincarnated nine times so that you may witness the destruction I bring when I kill you'." Akane recited, staring at the floor while feeling the burning of everyone's gaze, "She says it every night. She lives in me and if I taste the blood of another then I release her. I'm the ninth reincarnation, and she's at full power again."

She glanced up. Dark expressions surrounded her, aside from Tohru's look of pity and despair. They realised that the end of the curse was coming, and they knew that it wouldn't be painless. The Kitsune had revenge to take; she and they both knew she would have it.

Akane was just the lock to her prison. And locks are easily broken.

**ooo**

**((Wow...suddenly rather dark. Yeah, the tone changed from the original lightheartedness- I apologise if that was too sudden. I wasn't so sure about this part, so I'd love it if you could review with any plot corrections or suggestions! To be honest, I'm not sure where to go to bridge out Akane's meeting all the Sohmas (although I know how Akito comes into it- look forward to that drama!) and such, so I'd love it if you could suggest some ideas! 3 I do want some humour in to make the story a little less dark, so I hope you could help. Humour isn't my strong point. ;n;**

**Also, apologies for any OOCness, especially with Hatori. I haven't read/watched Fruits Basket for a fair few months and decided to complete this chapter on a whim, so I've been working from memory. I'd love some polite corrections on if I've contradicted myself at any point in the whole story too- I have a habit of doing that!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a great day! :D ))**


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